All iPads How old of a used iPad is worth buying for casual use?

[Digitalguy]

I think iPads’ longevity is wildly underrated for content consumption. To add to that, older iOS versions are also wildly underrated. I, like you, have the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which is the 1st-gen (do you have that one or the 12.9-inch?), and it runs iOS 12. iOS 12 is the iPad Air 1’s final version, and it works almost perfectly for content consumption. Some websites have a little trouble, but the vast majority work; streaming apps work (if not all of them, the vast majority); iBooks and reading? Flawless; videos, with YouTube? It works; light gaming works, too.

For this light usage, which I would guess that it’s what the most people use iPads for, you can practically use any iPad that runs iOS 12 onwards, and if you want to play it a little safer, we could even say that the iPad Air 2 onwards are perfectly suitable for this purpose. You don’t need an M1 to do that.

Many people believe that you need the iPad to support (or have!) the latest version for it to be able to do anything, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I tend to agree to some extent and for devices with little RAM I stop updating them before Apple does in general (2GB RAM devices should be stopped at 13 for my standards, 3GB devices at 15, but anything with 6 or 8 I would upgrade till the end).
Having said that sometimes a great new app arrives and you cannot install it because it requires the latest (which is not the case for the OP, who only needs basic stuff).
For instance DaVinci Resolve requires iPadOS 16.
A recent great PDF app arrived on iPad (was already the best on Windows) and it requires 15 (Drawboard PDF).
Having said that the opposite has also happened.
A music app I use a lot stopped working on 16 and the developer has not cared to update it despite the complaints.
These issues will only increase in time, but for low RAM devices I am willing to take the compromise to keep them responsive and avoid too many reloads.

 

[rui no onna]

I don't think she meant it's unusable, but reloads do increase a lot. My 9.7 is on 13.4 and reloads are pretty constant (they were there on 12 but they have increased). iPadOS 14 killed my mini 4, which was still usable on 13. iPadOS 15 increased the reloads even more to the point my 3GB RAM mini 5 reloads a lot more and I decided it will die on 15. iPadOS 16 has increased reloads further (I made a comparison between 2 iPad pro 2018 with the 2 versions).
As for pure speed, anything with at least 3 cores (except maybe the air 2, which was slow even on iOS 12) is still fast on 16, including my 3-core 10.5 pro with A10X. A12 is even faster.
My old 2015 pro was still pretty good on 14 when I sold it, but some say it got slow with 16, probably due to having only 2 cores.
I really don't want to know how the 9.7 pro with only 2GB RAM is on 16...

Yeah, it’s not unusable but it can be quite frustrating.

Watching Netflix, Disney+, etc? Totally fine. Most apps tend to be well behaved, too, and are mindful of iOS device limitations.

Browsing reddit using Safari? Not so much. Whoever invented infinite scrolling should be shot.

 

[FeliApple]

I don't think she meant it's unusable, but reloads do increase a lot. My 9.7 is on 13.4 and reloads are pretty constant (they were there on 12 but they have increased). iPadOS 14 killed my mini 4, which was still usable on 13. iPadOS 15 increased the reloads even more to the point my 3GB RAM mini 5 reloads a lot more and I decided it will die on 15. iPadOS 16 has increased reloads further (I made a comparison between 2 iPad pro 2018 with the 2 versions).
As for pure speed, anything with at least 3 cores (except maybe the air 2, which was slow even on iOS 12) is still fast on 16, including my 3-core 10.5 pro with A10X. A12 is even faster.
My old 2015 pro was still pretty good on 14 when I sold it, but some say it got slow with 16, probably due to having only 2 cores.
I really don't want to know how the 9.7 pro with only 2GB RAM is on 16...

How’s the overall smoothness for you on iPadOS 13.4? I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 13 and it’s pretty slow, there’s a lot of lag (which isn’t present on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12), and I felt like the overall experience fell apart on iOS 13. While definitely usable, we’ve talked about this before, and I’ve mentioned that I am a little stringent as far as performance and battery life go, and the 6s on iOS 13 does not pass that test for me.

I reckon I’d agree with both of your assessments, yours and @rui no onna: I wouldn’t want to use a 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iPadOS 16. iOS 12 is not perfect as far as battery life goes, but it is good enough, and performance is honestly great.

OP, as you can see, people’s expectations vary wildly. It’s difficult to apply this to your specific tolerance. I think that we can be pretty sure that the 9th-gen iPad would be good for you, if you can.

 

[FeliApple]

I tend to agree to some extent and for devices with little RAM I stop updating them before Apple does in general (2GB RAM devices should be stopped at 13 for my standards, 3GB devices at 15, but anything with 6 or 8 I would upgrade till the end).
Having said that sometimes a great new app arrives and you cannot install it because it requires the latest (which is not the case for the OP, who only needs basic stuff).
For instance DaVinci Resolve requires iPadOS 16.
A recent great PDF app arrived on iPad (was already the best on Windows) and it requires 15 (Drawboard PDF).
Having said that the opposite has also happened.
A music app I use a lot stopped working on 16 and the developer has not cared to update it despite the complaints.
These issues will only increase in time, but for low RAM devices I am willing to take the compromise to keep them responsive and avoid too many reloads.

I think we can all agree on this: so far, and assuming like some rumors say that A9 iPads will not get iPadOS 17, I can confidently say that Apple’s standards as far as ”is it good enough to support it?” goes, are pathetically low. They always stop too late. They’ve stopped too late from the beginning. Every single iOS device should’ve been dropped sooner.

Which causes an honest conundrum for users like OP. If you haven’t tried iPads throughout their iOS versions, how can you know what you tolerate? It’s very difficult. We can share our thoughts and our opinions, but this is completely subjective, so it is difficult to predict whether a user will be happy with a certain device.

This is why I think the 9th-gen iPad is a great recommendation: so far, you won’t have to tolerate anything, because it works very well (as of now, of course).

As for the rest, I agree, staying behind has severe drawbacks, intolerable ones for many. I’m on the other side of the map: my 9.7-inch iPad Pro would be on iOS 9, if only Apple hadn’t forced me out…

This conversation continues to reinforce what I think, though: glass half-full, because while I’d love to have iOS 9, at least iOS 12 is still great, even if not perfect.

 

[Digitalguy]

How’s the overall smoothness for you on iPadOS 13.4? I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 13 and it’s pretty slow, there’s a lot of lag (which isn’t present on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12), and I felt like the overall experience fell apart on iOS 13. While definitely usable, we’ve talked about this before, and I’ve mentioned that I am a little stringent as far as performance and battery life go, and the 6s on iOS 13 does not pass that test for me.

I reckon I’d agree with both of your assessments, yours and @rui no onna: I wouldn’t want to use a 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iPadOS 16. iOS 12 is not perfect as far as battery life goes, but it is good enough, and performance is honestly great.

OP, as you can see, people’s expectations vary wildly. It’s difficult to apply this to your specific tolerance. I think that we can be pretty sure that the 9th-gen iPad would be good for you, if you can.

9.7 pro on 13.4 is just as smooth as on 12 as far as I can remember. No slowdowns at all, but costant reloads in Safari (unless you count reloads as slowdowns, which in a way they are, and a a couple of crashes every now and then, but rare).
Now what's smooth or slow is subjective.... I was fine with the air 2 and mini 4 speed... until I tried the A9X pro, then they started feeling frustratingly slow....
Now my current standard is A12 / A12X (I also use the M1 but A12X is plenty fast).
Does the A9X feel slow now? No, it's still very responsive (on 13.4)
So I guess I am ok with speed from A9X on. Not with with reloads though.
Sure A10X is better, A12 even better and M1 even better, but again I am ok even with A9X for browsing. Not with A8 or A8X though.

 

[Digitalguy]

I think we can all agree on this: so far, and assuming like some rumors say that A9 iPads will not get iPadOS 17, I can confidently say that Apple’s standards as far as ”is it good enough to support it?” goes, are pathetically low. They always stop too late. They’ve stopped too late from the beginning. Every single iOS device should’ve been dropped sooner.

Which causes an honest conundrum for users like OP. If you haven’t tried iPads throughout their iOS versions, how can you know what you tolerate? It’s very difficult. We can share our thoughts and our opinions, but this is completely subjective, so it is difficult to predict whether a user will be happy with a certain device.

This is why I think the 9th-gen iPad is a great recommendation: so far, you won’t have to tolerate anything, because it works very well (as of now, of course).

As for the rest, I agree, staying behind has severe drawbacks, intolerable ones for many. I’m on the other side of the map: my 9.7-inch iPad Pro would be on iOS 9, if only Apple hadn’t forced me out…

This conversation continues to reinforce what I think, though: glass half-full, because while I’d love to have iOS 9, at least iOS 12 is still great, even if not perfect.

I know for you battery life is the most important thing by far, but honestly I think IOS 12 is a better compromise than IOS 9 at this point. Just to give you an example the youtube app no longer work with anything lower than 12. Tons of things don't work on IOS 9. And it can only get worse. I still consider 13 the best compromise for the 9.7 pro, but again 12 is a decent compromise.

 

[Night Spring]

I think iPads’ longevity is wildly underrated for content consumption. To add to that, older iOS versions are also wildly underrated. I, like you, have the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which is the 1st-gen (do you have that one or the 12.9-inch?), and it runs iOS 12. iOS 12 is the iPad Air 1’s final version, and it works almost perfectly for content consumption. Some websites have a little trouble, but the vast majority work; streaming apps work (if not all of them, the vast majority); iBooks and reading? Flawless; videos, with YouTube? It works; light gaming works, too.

For this light usage, which I would guess that it’s what the most people use iPads for, you can practically use any iPad that runs iOS 12 onwards, and if you want to play it a little safer, we could even say that the iPad Air 2 onwards are perfectly suitable for this purpose. You don’t need an M1 to do that.

Many people believe that you need the iPad to support (or have!) the latest version for it to be able to do anything, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I have the 12.9 inch, on iOS 15. The only reason I haven't updated it to iOS 16 is I don't like the changes to iBooks in iOS 16. Some features I use were removed.

Battery life is currently about 5-6 hours. I have no idea if this is due to the OS or because the battery has degraded over time. But it wasn't like I upgraded the OS one year and suddenly the battery life went from 10 hours to 5.

I do think it's good to buy the latest model you can afford, because that will last you longest, but the thing about Apple devices is they do keep on functioning for quite a while, especially if your usage requirements are light.

 

[FeliApple]

I know for you battery life is the most important thing by far, but honestly I think IOS 12 is a better compromise than IOS 9 at this point. Just to give you an example the youtube app no longer work with anything lower than 12. Tons of things don't work on IOS 9. And it can only get worse. I still consider 13 the best compromise for the 9.7 pro, but again 12 is a decent compromise.

An older version of YouTube probably works, but web browsing for example is fine on iOS 12, and I reckon iOS 9 would be unusable. iOS 10 isn’t good. I’d have iOS 9 if I could regardless, but yeah, I agree, iOS 12 is a decent compromise. For whatever’s worth, I lost about 3 hours of screen-on time after Apple forced me out (13-14 to 10-11), and there has been practically no performance hit (mild keyboard lag which wasn’t there on iOS 9, but it could be so much worse). Battery life on later versions of iPadOS seems to hover around the 5 to 6-hour range, so I guess 10-11 is good enough.

Seeing yours and @rui no onna’s descriptions, like I said, kind of force me to see the half-full glass: this version is decent. Not perfect, but decent.

 

[FeliApple]

I have the 12.9 inch, on iOS 15. The only reason I haven't updated it to iOS 16 is I don't like the changes to iBooks in iOS 16. Some features I use were removed.

Battery life is currently about 5-6 hours. I have no idea if this is due to the OS or because the battery has degraded over time. But it wasn't like I upgraded the OS one year and suddenly the battery life went from 10 hours to 5.

I do think it's good to buy the latest model you can afford, because that will last you longest, but the thing about Apple devices is they do keep on functioning for quite a while, especially if your usage requirements are light.

They removed the page-turning animation, but I think they reinstated it afterwards. I still think that iPadOS 15 (and earlier) versions of iBooks are far better though, agreed.

That 5, 6-hour battery life your report overwhelmingly coincides with practically every other report I’ve seen on iPadOS 15 and 16, so I am 100% sure that that’s due to the OS. iOS 12 gets me 10-11 hours, and iOS 9 got me 13-14. A pretty sizeable decrease, but then again, many don’t even need battery life on iPads, so it isn’t too high on the list of requirements. I’m a bit of a perfectionist (which is why I am only on iOS 12 because Apple forced me, I did not choose to update; I’m on iPadOS 15 on my Air 5 and it will never see a different version), but the truth is... I don’t need the battery life.

Like I said on the original comment, iPads’ longevity is wildly underestimated. You don’t need the latest model for content consumption, and you don’t need the latest software version. The 1st-gen iPad Pro is perfectly suitable for that! I continue to use it and for my use case, it has nothing to envy of my Air 5.

You said that the 1st-gen iPad Pro is perfectly fine for casual use, and that is totally true. I’d go even further: like I said, for content consumption, it has nothing to envy of the latest models.

 

[Night Spring]

You said that the 1st-gen iPad Pro is perfectly fine for casual use, and that is totally true. I’d go even further: like I said, for content consumption, it has nothing to envy of the latest models.

Yes, totally agree. My mom updated from the original iPad Pro to whatever was the latest model several years ago, and she told me it made no difference to her usage! 😂

 

[JustAnExpat]

My opinion, look for the following models of iPads:

iPad Air 3 (or later - released in 2019). This has an A12 chip with 3GB of RAM
iPad 6 (or later, released in 2018). This has an A10 chip with 2GB of RAM
iPad Pro 11 inch (or later, released in 2018). This has a A12x chip with 4GB of RAM

Why these?
- They are still getting software updates
- If bought used, the battery should still probably be good
- They should be cheap on the used market.

If you see an iPad Air 2 for a good price (around $50), I think it'll fit your needs too. I had an iPad Air 2 that I recently gave to my 8 year old son. I have it on the latest version of iPad OS, and it still works like new. However, it's not getting any more software updates.

My current iPad is an iPad 8, which I bought as a replacement for the iPad Air 2. I needed the Apple Pencil support.

 

[ndriver182]

Thanks everyone for the wealth of replies! After reading all of this talk about pricing, perhaps there's one detail I left out of my initial message:

I'm currently located in Japan

So, unfortunately that means that some of these deals are nowhere to be found. For example, in the Japanese Apple refurb store, the cheapest ipad they have right now is a 9th gen 64GB with cellular @ 58,800 JPY tax incl. (~$440 USD). Amazon Japan is selling 2021 (9th gen?) 64GBbase iPads for 44,800 JPY tax incl. (~$335 USD) brand new.

On Mercari Japan, the private used market seems to be selling 6th gen iPads for ~22,000 JPY (~$165 USD) with 8th gens hitting around ~35,000 JPY (~$260 USD).

Seems to me like buying a 9th gen base model off Amazon JP, although more expensive, isn't THAT much cheaper than buying a used 8th gen and you'll be sure it's perfectly intact.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[rui no onna]

My opinion, look for the following models of iPads:

iPad Air 3 (or later - released in 2019). This has an A12 chip with 3GB of RAM
iPad 6 (or later, released in 2018). This has an A10 chip with 2GB of RAM
iPad Pro 11 inch (or later, released in 2018). This has a A12x chip with 4GB of RAM

Why these?
- They are still getting software updates
- If bought used, the battery should still probably be good
- They should be cheap on the used market.

If you see an iPad Air 2 for a good price (around $50), I think it'll fit your needs too. I had an iPad Air 2 that I recently gave to my 8 year old son. I have it on the latest version of iPad OS, and it still works like new. However, it's not getting any more software updates.

My current iPad is an iPad 8, which I bought as a replacement for the iPad Air 2. I needed the Apple Pencil support.

There’s a design defect on the Air 3 (and Pro 10.5) that may cause white spots.

I don’t think the iPad Pro 11 (2018) will be that cheap, will they? Between 2018 Pro 11 and new/Apple certified refurb iPad 8th or 9th gen, I’d choose the latter. 5 years less battery wear (and general wear and tear for that matter).

 

[rui no onna]

Thanks everyone for the wealth of replies! After reading all of this talk about pricing, perhaps there's one detail I left out of my initial message:

I'm currently located in Japan

So, unfortunately that means that some of these deals are nowhere to be found. For example, in the Japanese Apple refurb store, the cheapest ipad they have right now is a 9th gen 64GB with cellular @ 58,800 JPY tax incl. (~$440 USD). Amazon Japan is selling 2021 (9th gen?) 64GBbase iPads for 44,800 JPY tax incl. (~$335 USD) brand new.

On Mercari Japan, the private used market seems to be selling 6th gen iPads for ~22,000 JPY (~$165 USD) with 8th gens hitting around ~35,000 JPY (~$260 USD).

Seems to me like buying a 9th gen base model off Amazon JP, although more expensive, isn't THAT much cheaper than buying a used 8th gen and you'll be sure it's perfectly intact.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, everyone!

I’m in favor of the 9th gen if you can swing it. At this point in time, the iPad 8th gen’s base 32GB is really tight.

As you mentioned, brand new 9th gen will be in, well, new condition and you get 1 year warranty as well.

 

[AJB1971]

The thing for me is that whilst older iPads might meet your current requirements, how much longer will they continue to do that? It’s also possible that your requirements will change when you start using an iPad.

I bought my mother a 6th generation iPad back in March 2020 and it continues to work well for her, but I wouldn’t buy one now, mainly because it only has 2GB of RAM and is unlikely to be supported for much longer.

I wouldn’t dissuade you from buying used. It’s a great option if you’re comfortable with it and one that I use myself. The Apple serial number checker is a good way to find out how old a device is if you don't know what the battery cycle count is, and also if it's still under warranty.

In terms of the 9th generation iPad, these can usually be found heavily discounted so the savings in buying used are not normally significant enough to make it worthwhile, but there are exceptions. Prices on sites like eBay can vary a lot and, if you are willing to spend a bit of time, you can get some very good deals.

It all comes down to your budget and $335 (44,800 JPY) is quite a bit more than the $200 you originally mentioned, but the 9th generation models do offer exceptional value for money (for an Apple product), have 64GB of storage, and will be supported for some time.

 

[Digitalguy]

An older version of YouTube probably works, but web browsing for example is fine on iOS 12, and I reckon iOS 9 would be unusable. iOS 10 isn’t good. I’d have iOS 9 if I could regardless, but yeah, I agree, iOS 12 is a decent compromise. For whatever’s worth, I lost about 3 hours of screen-on time after Apple forced me out (13-14 to 10-11), and there has been practically no performance hit (mild keyboard lag which wasn’t there on iOS 9, but it could be so much worse). Battery life on later versions of iPadOS seems to hover around the 5 to 6-hour range, so I guess 10-11 is good enough.

Seeing yours and @rui no onna’s descriptions, like I said, kind of force me to see the half-full glass: this version is decent. Not perfect, but decent.

No version of the youtube app works on 32bit versions of iOS (IOS 9 and 10) anymore, you can only watch youtube from a browser, that's it. I think that's the case with most streaming / TV apps too, but I have only tested what I use, it's not a matter of app version, it's that the servers no longer support older 32 bit versions.

 

[eddjedi]

My iPad Mini 2 is still OK for web browsing and streaming Netflix, iPlayer etc. The only issue you may have is getting the apps, as I believe some can no longer be downloaded on older iOS versions (I still have them installed from years ago)

 

[Digitalguy]

My iPad Mini 2 is still OK for web browsing and streaming Netflix, iPlayer etc. The only issue you may have is getting the apps, as I believe some can no longer be downloaded on older iOS versions (I still have them installed from years ago)

This show how tolerance for speed/slowness is very subjective (I am talking about web browsing). I find my mini 2 way too slow for browsing but if I had nothing else I would be more than happy to be able to browse on it....

 

[Boyd01]

I'm looking at possibly picking up an ipad for my wife and I to use casually. Likely just a few apps for video streaming, web browsing and maybe a couple shopping apps.

My 6th generation iPad does all of that. Not much of an iPad fan myself, got it in 2018 for an app that controls my multi-channel field recorder and that works very well. Have not used it for much else, but recently have been watching video with Sling and Discovery plus and sometimes with the TV app connecting to a Mini that I use as a media server.

Works fine for all of that, but the speakers seem a bit weak (my iPhone 12 Pro Max might actually be a little louder). Anyway, at this point you might not be able to find a 6th generation iPad in good condition on the used market, but if you can then it will probably meet your simple needs.

 

[FeliApple]

Thanks everyone for the wealth of replies! After reading all of this talk about pricing, perhaps there's one detail I left out of my initial message:

I'm currently located in Japan

So, unfortunately that means that some of these deals are nowhere to be found. For example, in the Japanese Apple refurb store, the cheapest ipad they have right now is a 9th gen 64GB with cellular @ 58,800 JPY tax incl. (~$440 USD). Amazon Japan is selling 2021 (9th gen?) 64GBbase iPads for 44,800 JPY tax incl. (~$335 USD) brand new.

On Mercari Japan, the private used market seems to be selling 6th gen iPads for ~22,000 JPY (~$165 USD) with 8th gens hitting around ~35,000 JPY (~$260 USD).

Seems to me like buying a 9th gen base model off Amazon JP, although more expensive, isn't THAT much cheaper than buying a used 8th gen and you'll be sure it's perfectly intact.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, everyone!

Another vote for the 9th-gen iPad if you can. Today, it’s probably the iPad to recommend as far as Apple’s lineup goes.

 

[FeliApple]

No version of the youtube app works on 32bit versions of iOS (IOS 9 and 10) anymore, you can only watch youtube from a browser, that's it. I think that's the case with most streaming / TV apps too, but I have only tested what I use, it's not a matter of app version, it's that the servers no longer support older 32 bit versions.

I can confirm that Netflix works on iOS 10, but I didn’t know YouTube doesn’t work. If YouTube doesn’t work, then I guess this is another little data point that fills the half-full glass a bit more as far as iOS 12 goes.

This is very sad though, it’s our only defense against device degradation. You can see it on this thread: many use older iPads with no issues at all, so much so that many of us even recommend buying them today.

 

[darngooddesign]

So, I'm thinking of just picking up something used. I was curious what you guys would recommend and how far back is worth going (assuming the ipad condition isn't bad). I was hoping to keep things ~$200 or so, but not sure what kind of experience that would buy.

Thanks!

It's going to be a shame if you cheaped out on an iPad only to find you use more than you expected.

Buy a used iPad 8 or 9.

 

[bodonnell202]

Thanks everyone for the wealth of replies! After reading all of this talk about pricing, perhaps there's one detail I left out of my initial message:

I'm currently located in Japan

So, unfortunately that means that some of these deals are nowhere to be found. For example, in the Japanese Apple refurb store, the cheapest ipad they have right now is a 9th gen 64GB with cellular @ 58,800 JPY tax incl. (~$440 USD). Amazon Japan is selling 2021 (9th gen?) 64GBbase iPads for 44,800 JPY tax incl. (~$335 USD) brand new.

On Mercari Japan, the private used market seems to be selling 6th gen iPads for ~22,000 JPY (~$165 USD) with 8th gens hitting around ~35,000 JPY (~$260 USD).

Seems to me like buying a 9th gen base model off Amazon JP, although more expensive, isn't THAT much cheaper than buying a used 8th gen and you'll be sure it's perfectly intact.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, everyone!

For a little more compared to going used it seems like the best choice to me as you know you'll be getting a new battery and won't be running into issues with app support anytime soon.

 

[Mainsail]

If you shop around, you can get a new iPad 9th gen for $250 on sale. It should easily last 4 years for the casual purposes that you described. That's ~$60 per year, or $5 per month, or one cup of venti cappuccino per month. You won't regret it.

 

[rui no onna]

If you shop around, you can get a new iPad 9th gen for $250 on sale. It should easily last 4 years for the casual purposes that you described. That's ~$60 per year, or $5 per month, or one cup of venti cappuccino per month. You won't regret it.

Probably not in Japan.